WWE needs to shift plans and announce 32-year-old SmackDown star as Asuka's SummerSlam opponent
WWE needs to change plans and announce a 32-year-old superstar as Asuka's opponent for SummerSlam 2023.
The Empress of Tomorrow captured the RAW Women's Championship from Bianca Belair at Night of Champions. After she was selected by SmackDown in this year's draft, the 41-year-old was presented with the WWE Women's Championship by WWE official Adam Pearce.
Charlotte Flair interrupted the presentation, and it led to The Queen arguing with Bianca Belair about who should get a title shot. The promotion will be revealing Asuka's challenger at SummerSlam during tonight's episode of SmackDown on FS1.
Most fans are expecting either Flair or Belair to be announced as the champion's opponent, or possibly both in a Triple Threat match at SummerSlam. However, the company could go in a completely different direction and announce that Zelina Vega will be challenging for the title at SummerSlam on August 5th:
Adam Pearce could announce that Vega will be getting the title shot due to the LWO member's growing popularity. He could also book Flair versus Belair at SummerSlam to fairly determine who should be next in line following the premium live event. Pearce has been unable to prevent Flair and Belair from getting involved in each other's matches, so the best move could be to completely remove them from the title picture for the time being and give Vega another opportunity.
Vega battled Rhea Ripley at Backlash and gave The Eradicator everything she could handle, but it still wasn't enough to defeat her. She would have a much better chance of defeating Asuka if given the chance at SummerSlam.
WWE SmackDown star Charlotte Flair claims to have Asuka's number
Charlotte Flair ended Asuka's undefeated streak at WrestleMania 34 and believes that she still has her number when it comes to in-ring competition.
Flair recently defeated Lacey Evans in a singles match on WWE SmackDown but was attacked by Asuka after the match. The WWE Women's Champion then shared a video of the attack on social media to brag about, and Flair noticed. The 37-year-old took to Twitter and mocked the champion for relying on cheap shots and ambushes:
"Cheap shots and ambushes? Yeah, I still have your number 😉", she tweeted.
Both Bianca Belair and Charlotte Flair can make a strong case that they deserve a title shot at SummerSlam. However, it would be interesting to see how the SmackDown stars react if neither of them are given a title match at SummerSlam next month.
Which SmackDown star would you like to see challenge for the title at SummerSlam? Sound off in the comments section below.